When the last school bell rings to signify the start of summer, kids go running wildly into the season full of hope for adventures and freedom. But parents know all too well that once the novelty of downtime wears off, that famous phrase, “Mom, I’m bored!” is all too quickly uttered. Put these 25 good, old fashioned summer activities on your child’s radar, and they’re sure to find entertainment lurking around every corner of your home and neighborhood.

1. Take your kids on a nature walk/scavenger hunt at a nearby park or around your neighborhood. Give them a list of things to find: a squirrel, a yellow flower, a dandelion, etc., and have them take a picture of each object on the list. When you return home, have them paint a picture of the most beautiful thing they saw on their excursion.

2. Set up an obstacle course in your backyard and declare it Olympic day! Toss water balloons, hop to the finish line in potato sacks, and do egg on spoon relay races.

3. Find a patch of sidewalk and let kids spruce it up with their very own chalk drawings.

4. Teach your child how to cook her favorite meal or baked treat.

5. Make homemade fruit popsicles or ice cream sundaes.

6. Get crafty with collected seashells and make these seashell Koalas and other keepsake creatures.

7. Attend story time at your local library.

8. Fly a kite.

9. Teach your kids how to play a card game or a board game.

10. Volunteer at an animal shelter or visit senior citizens in an elderly home.

11. Build a fairy house.

12. Build an indoor fort by draping sheets over strategically placed furniture. Read library books under the canopy.

13. Teach your child how to sew or knit.

14. Learn the art of tying as many different knots as you can.

15. Walk your dog and then give him a bubble bath.

16. Enroll your child in an eco-friendly summer camp.

17. Build a treehouse or playhouse together.

18. Go on a family bike riding excursion.

19. Plant a garden, tend it and watch it grow. Plan to make a delicious recipe with the fruits of your labor.

20. Blow bubbles. Teach your child how to blow a bubble with gum.

21. Hit the beach, lake, stream, or creek in your neck of the woods and make a splash.

22. Start a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle together and work on it every day for 15 minutes as a family.

23. Make a sensory or water table station in your backyard.

24. Learn how to juggle, hula hoop and do a cartwheel.

25. Go “camping” in your backyard or living room.

Images: Beth Shea, Mavis, jumpyjodes, fwooper, LaLa50, adria.richards, Axel Buhrmann, gaab22

The post 25 Good Old Fashioned Unplugged Activities for Kids appeared first on EcoSalon.

School’s out for summer! But you can still further your child’s education in the off-season by sending him or her off to an eco-friendly summer camp. What could be better than experiencing the great outdoors firsthand while learning how to preserve nature via fun activities shared with friends? Here are five environmentally focused summer camps that will have your kids running with glee for the green hills!

Islandwood

Located near Seattle, WA on Bainbridge Island, the 225 acres of natural habitat at Islandwood offer an ideal backdrop for children to learn about the environment. Children from age four, up to teenagers in 12th grade, will reap all the rewards of attending the half-day, all-day or sleepover camp programs at Islandwood. Activities range from gardening, storytime in the forest, and exploration of critters and creatures to backpacking excursions, and learning how to cook using nature’s finest ingredients. Learn more about Islandwood here.

Maine Audubon

The Gilsland Farm Audubon in Maine features a modern environmental center and “a 65-acre sanctuary with more than two miles of trails winding along a pond and through woods, meadow, orchard and salt marsh.” Summer camp sessions for preschoolers to kids age 11, include opportunities to learn about wetlands, forests, wildlife and bodies of water.

Plantation Farm Camp

A farm situated on 500 acres in the coastal Sonoma redwoods in California is the setting for Plantation Farm Camp, which offers the quintessential summer camp experience for kids who want to learn how to work with farm animals by shearing sheep, milking cows, and feeding the chickens. Bareback horse riding and canoeing are also some of the 50 options children may choose from to tailor their unique experience based on their interests. There’s also a family camp program available that the entire family may enjoy together.

Camp Ecology

Located in Aspen, Colorado, Camp Ecology is a nature camp which teaches kids how to care for the environment. Science projects, eco games and crafts, hiking, exploring, good old-fashioned camping skills and overnight campouts are all on the roster, which is designed to engage kids in the outdoors and make them feel at home in the wilderness.

Girls Go Green

Girls Go Green is a live-in, week long summer camp program in Missouri created for high school aged women. This camp gives young women the opportunity to explore careers that both protect the environment and help society. Campers will learn about the science and engineering that are the foundation of building a green environment, including researching the safety of nuclear energy, and delving into topics including global warming and waste-water related issues.

Check here for a list of many more green summer camps that may be closer to your neck of the woods!

Image: Islandwood

The post 5 Green Summer Camps for Nature-Loving Kids & Teens appeared first on EcoSalon.